BYU Set to Play Stanford in NCAA Final Four

MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 4 seed BYU women's volleyball team will play No. 1 seed Stanford in an NCAA National Semifinal match in the Target Center on Thursday, Dec. 13, at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.

The match is the third Final Four contest in program history for the Cougars (31-1); BYU lost to Penn State in 1993 and defeated Texas in 2014 in the other two appearances. 

Stanford (32-1) is coming off a defeat of Penn State to reach the semifinal. The Cardinal are in their third-straight Final Four, losing to eventual champion Nebraska last season and winning the national championship in 2016. 

The Cardinal are led by the 2017 national Player of the Year, junior outside hitter Kathryn Plummer, who is averaging 4.76 kills per set on a .288 hitting percentage and was named a first-team All-American for the third-straight season.

Earlier this season BYU defeated Stanford in five sets in Provo. Senior All-American Roni Jones-Perry had 20 kills and 10 digs and national Freshman of the Year Heather Gneiting added nine kills and 10 blocks to lead the Cougars to victory. 

BYU is ranked No. 1 in the country in hitting percentage at .315 and No. 2 in opponent hitting percentage at .139. Meanwhile, Stanford is ranked No. 2 in hitting percentage at .310 and No. 24 in opponent hitting percentage at .164.

The winner of the BYU vs. Stanford match will play the winner of No. 3 Illinois and No. 7 Nebraska on Saturday, Dec. 15, at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2.